Jeremiah 3
1 One could say, Behold, if a man send away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, can he return unto her again? would not that land be greatly polluted? and thou hast played the harlot with many companions, and wilt yet return to me, saith the Lord.
“Sɛ ɔbarima gyaa ne yere na ɔbaa no kɔware ɔbarima foforɔ a, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔbarima no sane kɔ ɔbaa no nkyɛn anaa? Ɛremma asase no ho ngu fi koraa anaa? Nanso, wo ne adɔfoɔ bebree abɔ adwaman, na seesei deɛ wobɛsane aba me nkyɛn anaa?” Awurade na ɔseɛ.
2 Lift up thy eyes unto the mountain-tops, and see where thou hast not been lain with. On public roads hast thou sat for them, as the Arab in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy incests and with thy wickedness.
“Ma wʼani so hwɛ nkokoɔ no so. Baabi wɔ hɔ a wɔntoo wo monnaa da anaa? Wotenaa kwankyɛn twɛnee adɔfoɔ, wotenaa sɛ mmoahwɛfoɔ a wɔdi atutena wɔ anweatam so. Woagu asase no ho fi wode wʼadwamammɔ ne wʼamumuyɛ na ayɛ.
3 And [though] the early showers were withholden, and the latter rain came not: yet hadst thou a forehead of an incestuous wife, thou refusedst to feel shame.
Enti wɔatwe obosuo asan, na osutɔberɛ nsuo antɔ. Nanso wʼanim ayɛ sɛ odwamanfoɔ a ɔmfɛre hwee; wʼani nwu hwee.
4 Wilt thou not from this time call out unto mem My father, the guide of my youth art thou?
Nanso, woka kyerɛ me sɛ: ‘Mʼagya, mʼadamfo firi me mmabunuberɛ mu,
5 Will he bear grudge for ever? will he keep it to eternity? Behold, thou hast spoken [this], and yet hast done the things that are evil as much as thou wast able.
wobo bɛfu biribiara anaa? Wʼabofuhyeɛ no bɛkɔ so daa anaa?’ Sei na wokasa, nanso woyɛ bɔne nyinaa sɛdeɛ wotumi.”
6 And the Lord said unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen what backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and hath played the harlot there.
Ɔhene Yosia adedie berɛ so no, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Woahunu deɛ Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ no ayɛ? Wakɔ nkokoɔ nyinaa so ne dua adendan nyinaa ase akɔsɛe awadeɛ wɔ hɔ.
7 And I thought that after she had done all these things, she would return unto me. But she returned not. And this saw her treacherous sister Judah.
Mesusuu sɛ, anka wayɛ yeinom nyinaa akyi no, ɔbɛsane aba me nkyɛn, nanso wamma, na ne nuabaa Yuda a ɔno nso nka nokorɛ no hunuiɛ.
8 And I saw, that, although because backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had sent her away, and given her bill of divorce unto her, still treacherous Judah her sister feared not, but went and played herself the harlot also.
Memaa Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ no awaregyaeɛ nwoma na mepamoo no ɛsiane nʼawaresɛe abrabɔ. Nanso mehunuu sɛ ne nuabaa Yuda a ɔnni nokorɛ no ansuro; ɔno nso kɔbɔɔ awaresɛeɛ bra.
9 And it came to pass through her giddy incest, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stone and with wood.
Esiane sɛ Israel adwamammɔ anyɛ no asɛm hia enti, ɔde efi kaa asase no na ɔne aboɔ ne nnua bɔɔ adwaman.
10 And yet with all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not returned unto me with all her heart, but with falsehood, saith the Lord.
Yeinom nyinaa akyi no, ne nuabaa Yuda a ɔnni nokorɛ no ansane nʼakyi nokorɛm amma me nkyɛn. Ɔde nʼanim na ɛkyerɛeɛ,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
11 And the Lord said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself through the treacherous Judah.
Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ no tene sene Yuda nkontompo ni.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord: I will not cause my anger to fall upon you; for I am full of kindness, saith the Lord, I will not hear grudge for ever.
Kɔ, fa wʼani kyerɛ atifi fam kɔka saa nsɛm yi kyerɛ wɔn: “‘Sane wʼakyi, Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ,’ Sei na Awurade seɛ, ‘Meremmuna nkyerɛ wo bio, ɛfiri sɛ meyɛ mmɔborɔhunufoɔ,’ sei na Awurade seɛ, ‘Me bo renfu afebɔɔ.
13 Only acknowledge thy iniquity, that against the Lord thy God thou hast rebelled, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and that unto my voice ye have not hearkened, saith the Lord.
Gye wo afɔdie to mu, woayɛ dɔm atia Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, woakyekyɛ wʼadɔeɛ mu ama ananafoɔ anyame wɔ dua biara a adendan ase, na woanyɛ ɔsetie amma me,’” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
14 Return, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am become your husband; and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and bring you to Zion:
“Monsane mo akyi, mo akyirisanfoɔ,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie, “ɛfiri sɛ meyɛ mo kunu. Mɛyi wo; ɔbaako bɛfiri kuro mu na mmienu afiri abusuakuo mu, na mede mo aba Sion.
15 And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they shall feed you with knowledge and intelligence.
Afei mɛma mo nnwanhwɛfoɔ a wɔda mʼakoma so, wɔn a wɔde nimdeɛ ne nteaseɛ bɛkyerɛ mo ɛkwan.
16 And it shall come to pass, when ye multiply and increase in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, that men shall not say any more, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord;” nor shall it come any more to mind; nor shall they remember it; nor shall they mention it; nor shall any thing be done any more [with it].
Saa nna no mu, sɛ mo dɔɔso bebree wɔ asase no so a,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “nnipa renka bio sɛ, ‘Awurade yɛn ani agyina apam adaka no.’ Ɛremma wɔn adwene mu anaa wɔrenka saa bio; na wɔrenyɛ apam adaka foforɔ nso.
17 At that time shall they call Jerusalem, The throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: and they shall not walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
Saa ɛberɛ no, wɔbɛfrɛ Yerusalem Awurade Ahennwa, na amanaman nyinaa bɛhyia wɔ Yerusalem abɛkamfo Awurade din. Na wɔrenni wɔn akoma bɔne a ɛma wɔn yɛ asoɔden no akyi bio.
18 In those days shall the house of Judah walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north unto the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
Saa nna no mu, Yudafie bɛka Israel efie ho, na wɔabɔ mu afiri atifi fam asase bi so aba asase a mede maa mo agyanom sɛ agyapadeɛ no so.
19 But I had thought, How shall I establish thee among the [other] sons [of man], and give thee a desirable land, a heritage of glory of the hosts of nations? and I thought, My father thou wouldst call me, and that from me thou wouldst not turn away.
“Mʼankasa mekaa sɛ, ‘Anka ɛbɛyɛ me anigye sɛ mɛyɛ mo sɛ mma na mama mo asase a ɛyɛ, agyapadeɛ a ɛdi mu ma ɔman biara.’ Mesusuiɛ sɛ mobɛfrɛ me ‘Agya’ na monnane mo ho mfiri mʼakyi.
20 But truly as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
Nanso, sɛdeɛ ɔbaa a ɔnni ne kunu nokorɛ no, saa ara na moanni me nokorɛ, Ao Israel efie,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
21 A voice is now heard upon the mountain-tops, the supplicatory weeping of the children of Israel; for they have perverted their way, they have forgotten the Lord their God.
Wɔte esu bi wɔ nkokoɔ no so, ɛyɛ Israelfoɔ agyaadwotwa ne nkotosrɛ, ɛfiri sɛ wɔakyeakyea wɔn akwan na wɔn werɛ afiri Awurade, wɔn Onyankopɔn.
22 Return, ye backsliding children, I will heal your backslidings. “Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God.
“Monsane mmra, ɔyera mma; mɛsa mo akyirisane yadeɛ no.” “Aane, yɛbɛba wo nkyɛn, ɛfiri sɛ wo ne Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn.
23 Truly deceptive was [what we hoped for] from the hills, and the multitude on the mountains; truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.
Nokorɛm, ahoni hooyɛ wɔ nkokoɔ ne mmepɔ so no yɛ nnaadaa; nokorɛm, Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn mu na Israel nkwagyeɛ wɔ.
24 And shame hath devoured the acquisition of our fathers from our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Ɛfiri yɛn mmɔfraase, anyame huhuo adi yɛn agyanom nsa ano adwuma so aba, wɔn nnwankuo ne anantwie, wɔn mmammarima ne wɔn mmammaa.
25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us; for against the Lord our God have we sinned, we and our fathers, from our youth even until this day; and we have not hearkened to the voice of the Lord our God.”
Momma yɛmfa yɛn aniwuo nneda fam na yɛn ahohora nkata yɛn so. Yɛayɛ bɔne atia Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn, yɛn ne yɛn agyanom; ɛfiri yɛn mmɔfraase bɛsi ɛnnɛ yɛanyɛ ɔsetie amma Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn.”
